MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law that shall subsidize irrigation services for local farmers.

Duterte signed on Feb. 2 Republic Act 10969 which gives free irrigation to farmers who own land not larger than 8 hectares.

The law also allows the condonation of unpaid irrigation fees and writing off of loans of farmers who own the same size of land.

“The state affirms its commitment to contribute to the lowering of the cost of production through the provision of free irrigation service, and further relieve the farmers and their irrigators associations from the burden and consequence of unpaid irrigation service fees,” the law reads.

President Duterte signs free irrigation law @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/fIfB9unGeG

— Dharel Placido (@dgplacido) February 9, 2018

The law states that the National Irrigation Administration shall continue to develop, operate and maintain national irrigation systems, but it may delegate the operation and maintenance of secondary and tertiary canals and farm ditches to capable irrigators associations.

The NIA shall provide equivalent funds for the operation and maintenance of these facilities. It shall issue the necessary policies, qualification requirements and selection process in determining the capability and capacity of irrigators associations to operate and maintain these portion of the national irrigation system.